This invention relates generally to the protection of vending machines against the introduction of liquid into such machines and particularly to the protection of credit card readers by providing such readers with a liquid diverter for deflecting and draining the liquid away from the reader.
The problem of vandalizing vending machines by introducing liquid, particularly salt water, into a machine by way of the coin accepting chute, and bill validator entryway is a serious one. Such vandalism has now spread to credit card readers, sometimes referred to as "smart card" readers because the cards have a built-in electronic chip which is "read" by the reader in lieu of using currency. Such liquid not only tends to cause the electronic parts of the vending machine to malfunction due short circuiting but also causes corrosion of sensitive parts. Thus, not only can the vending machine be robbed of its merchandise and cash as a result of a precipitated discharge but, in addition, the destruction of the vending machine parts can occur which requires expensive repair or replacement.
Attempts to solve this problem with respect to bill validators are well known and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,164 which discloses an electronic moisture sensor, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,289 which discloses a built-in drainage system within the entryway to carry the liquid away. The first device tends to be expensive and has the disadvantage of shutting down vending by the machine. The second device has limited liquid capacity over a localized area. Neither of these devices is readily adaptable to smart card readers because such readers must not only divert the liquid but it must also permit entry of the card into the enclosure within the smart card reader housing. Another device for providing protection for bill validators is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/570,381 which is simple and has a large capacity but is not a specifically arranged structure to provide a first stage protection for smart card readers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,989 is also of interest as disclosing a card reading terminal having flexible flaps extending over the card-receiving inlet to prevent the ingress of debris. It is not intended to shield the terminal against liquid and has no provision for drainage.
The present liquid diverting device avoids these and other disadvantages and provides a solution to the problem of diverting liquid from a smart card reader in a manner neither revealed nor suggested in the known prior art.